The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

To the girl at the car wash this morning:

Are you kidding me? Are you really going to dry your car while still in the car wash bay when others are waiting to use it?


What act of stupidity did you witness today?

I would have went over there, put some quarters in and sprayed her right in the face.  And dont think for a minute that I am kidding.

When no one is there I don't pull out o dry but if anyone else is waiting or its pretty busy I always get out of the way.

I will say I don;t think most people think about others when they do things like that. Anyway sorry for your morning being slightly messed up due to inconsiderate people.

I was driving down a residential road today and there was a chair in the middle of the road. It was either really nice lawn furniture or some sort of "sun room" type chair. Having never been in the situation I was unsure if I should wait patiently for the chair to finish crossing the road, try to see if the chair had a nametag and take it back to it's owner, or just try to drive around it.

I went around it and came back later and it had finished crossing the street, but I'm still not sure where it was going. I expect to see a sign on lightposts shortly:

The chair was probably just taking advantage of OK spring weather to go exploring.  It must have heard there will be a wind shift tomorrow to take it back home.  ;D

It's a little-known fact that chairs engage in seasonal migrations.  They go south in winter and spend the cold months lounging on tropical beaches, supporting tourists wearing loud shirts as they drink beverages decorated with tiny paper umbrellas.  Then, when the sun's movement triggers their northward journey in the spring, they descend on decks and patios where they mate, producing little footstools that will renew the cycle later in the year.

Just this morning, I saw a flock of Minnesota ladder-backs heading north.  I love this time of the year.

You guys need to watch PBS more often.

Stray or migrating lawn furniture...you guys are killing me!

TM- not yesterday, but Friday night coming home from work, I sat behind people making a left turn at two different intersections marked no left turn.  I'm always curious what makes those people so much more special than the rest of us.  Makes me wish I had Wilbur on speed dial.

The other one that pisses me off is people who can't find the turn signal lever in their BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus.  Are turn signals optional in luxury cars these days?

In 1995 the turn signals on BMW were standard.  The instructions on how to use them was optional.  Haven't been able to afford a new one since then.

As a matter of fact now that spring training for baseball is over, their getting stacked up at the airport waiting for the seats on the plane to head back north.

As a BMW owner who uses his turn signal, I object :P I contest that nobody anywhere knows how to use their turn signal, especially when they are waiting to get out into backed up traffic.. then they wonder why I don't let them in when I can't tell what they are trying to do. Tell me pancakes you are going and I will let you in.

people who are too stupid to realize they are driving with their fog lights on. When asked they will say they are "automatic" and they are too stupid to realize that fog lights and regular lights are on two different switches. What they don't seem to understand is that their stupidity is blinding everyone else on the road.

I thought fog lights were supposed to aim down at the road (7 degrees off level)?

I'm seeing dead birds everywhere lately.  Anyone else or am I the lucky dead animal finder this week?

I just got a new Murano and the lights seem much brighter. At first I thought it might be that I have the brights on, but thats not it because you can make them brighter still and the "brights" light thingey comes on. Then I remembered the guy showing me the car demonstrated how the lights could be directed to move up and down, mentioned something about seeing signs better? Dont remember what he did though and have fiddled around with no success. Will have to take it back in and have them show me how to do a lot of things lol. Too many gadgets. Especially the map thingey? bluetooth? CD recording?... But yea, I have noticed a lot more really bright car lights in the last few years, and wondered if it was just different type of bulbs or something. The lights on this car are a really harsh, bright blueish light and are very focused with a sharp line deliniating where the beam of light is. Below the line its bright as day, above it dark. You can either see it and are blinding it, or its in the dark. Love everything else about the updated Murano, but the light thing is different than the old one.

Old (pre 1980s ?) sealed beam lights were tungsten filament. They looked yellow by comparison to most everything since then. There were some sealed beam Halogen bulbs.  Sealed beam headlights typically put out an ill defined blob of light. I believe the US DOT defined the acceptable light pattern. Low beams had to be aimed down so much that you were probably overdriving them at 40 mph. European headlights have had a sharp cutoff for at least 35 years that I know about.  They allowed the use of bulbs that put out more light to see farther without blinding opposing traffic.  Great except if you go through a dip in the road. Halogen bulbs separately replaceable from the lens and reflector have been around/legal for at least 15 years.  This allowed the free form headlights that manufacturers used for styling and aerodynamic purposes. Some headlights are better than others regarding their pattern.  The latest I know about is the HID (High Intensity Discharge) lights.  They are very bright and require a good lens to not blind other traffic.  The aim of the lights is certainly more important than with the old yellow bulbs.  High (above the road surface) lights on an SUV will still bother low cars (Porsche, Vette, etc) even if otherwise properly aimed. 

Edit:
Forgot to mention, the purpose of headlights is to see where you are driving when it's dark out.  Returning to a weaker,  softer yellow light with terrible lens/reflector combinations would be a step backwards regarding safety.

Try not to lose this one...heh....